I had waited for those summer holidays for a while and was so happy to finally get on the plane and be on my way to one of my favourite places on earth : California !

The first stop was San Francisco. It is a truly beautiful city, with lots of things to do and see, as well as lots of delicious things to eat. Here are some of my favourite places to go for brunch, lunch or dinner.

cable car san francisco

Brunch in SoMa

We had been warned : Dottie’s offers one of the best brunches in town but…you have to wait at least an hour on weekends to enjoy it.

Well, since we don’t often come to San Francisco, we decided to wake up much earlier than usual, after seeing all those tempting pictures. Although we arrived around 8.30am, there was already a long queue. The nice smell of bacon, eggs and muffins kept us awake though until we finally made it inside.

brunch dottie's san francisco

The decor reminded of the New York lofts with its red bricks and jazz music.

The brunch itself was simply amazing with the most delicious sweet potato cake and perfect fluffy pancakes. The hot chocolate was also really good. Only the English muffin was slightly “overtoasted” but everything else was just perfect. I highly recommend this place !

The address : 28 6th Street

Seafood at Fisherman’s Wharf

If you walk around the touristy Pier 39 and have never tried the clam chowder, you should stop by Boudin.

clam chowder

It is best to come early as this place is recommended in most tourist guides and gets very busy by lunchtime. They offer a nice and creamy clam chowder in a sourdough bread.

Another specialty in San Francisco is the Dungeness crab. You will find a great place to enjoy it at Pier 43 1/2 with the San Franciscan.

dungeness crab

The crabs might look big but this is what you need for 3 people, after you have cut it into pieces. The place also offers beautiful views over the sea.

You might wonder how you can manage to eat such a huge piece of crab. Don’t worry if you have never tried it. They will prepare it in front of you and give you the right tools so that it doesn’t take you hours to find something to eat.

After that delicious meal, we still thought we should go for dessert. We were on holidays after all, but when they brought this huge chocolate sundae, we wondered if it wasn’t for 4 people instead of 1, even the 2 of us couldn’t finish it…

Mexican taqueria in Mission

Whenever I come to SF, I always make sure I stop by one of those great Mexican taquerias, something we don’t really find in France.

The place is pretty big so you should find plenty of space for your lunch. You can either order from the counter for takeaways or sit down and wait for the friendly waitress to take your order. They will then offer you a small glass of sangria as a starter, with the usual guacamole and salsa.

taqueria california

I was slightly afraid of the size of the real burritos for a light lunch so I went for the baby burrito. It was delicious and already huge !
My friend had chicken quesadillas, which were also really good. As for the atmosphere, it is really friendly and relaxing. There was also a group of musicians playing traditional Mexican music and lots of Mexican families enjoying their lunch.

The only downside : the cleanliness in the restrooms, a bit disappointing as everything else was nice and good.

The address : 2731 Mission St (between 23rd & 24th St)

Lunch spot at the Golden Gate park

The café at the De Young Museum is quite big and handy for a quick lunch after walking for a couple of hours throughout the park.

The pastrami sandwich was filling and good. The ice cream only contained natural ingredients and did taste like pistachio, although I would rather recommend getting gelati in North Beach.

Before leaving the museum, don’t forget to take the elevator to the last floor, it is free and you’ll get great views over the city, provided that the fog is not too strong.

Golden Gate park

Don’t forget to visit the Japanese tea garden. The visit is free from 9 to 10 am.

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